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Honoring the Legacy of Christopher Morse As a Teacher of Christian

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Honoring the Legacy of Christopher Morse As a Teacher of Christian 26 27 SED CONTRA, ERGO, RESPONSIO: Mary Beth (M.B.) Walsh wrote her doctoral dissertation under Christo- pher’s mentorship reclaiming the ecclesiological image of body of Christ from Honoring the Legacy of Christopher Morse a feminist liberationist perspective. Since her younger son Ben’s diagnosis of as a Teacher of Christian Theology autism at age two, M.B. has devoted considerable time to addressing theological issues related to autism, and particularly the participation of persons with Autism Daniel Spencer and Mary Beth Walsh Spectrum Disorders [ASDs] in the church. She believes to this day that she would never have completed her doctoral work without Christopher’s support. In the midst of her doctoral program, after the dissertation proposal was approved, but Written for the USQR Festschrift for Christopher Morse before she began writing, she gave birth to her older son. Very little work on the March 31, 2014 dissertation took place that first year of sleepless nights and infant care. Return- ing to Union to register for the semester, and needing her advisor, Christopher’s signature on her registration card, she sheepishly confessed to Christopher that she In the fall of 1991, with two years of course work toward our doctoral studies had made virtually no progress on writing her dissertation. Christopher said to her, completed, we began two years of work as UTS Tutors for Professors Christo- “Oh, M.B, don’t worry about that! The work you are doing now is so much more pher Morse and James Cone in the introductory theology sequence of ST103 and important. And when you return to writing theology, the theology will be better ST104. To say this experience was formative would be an understatement. on account of the work you do now.” Her essay below is a modest attempt to bear A central component of Christopher’s ST104 course, Foundations of witness to the truth of Christopher’s advice. Christian Theology, was gaining skills in theological argumentation in order to Dan Spencer wrote his M.Div. thesis under Christopher’s supervision on the demonstrate how Christian doctrines can be applied to contemporary issues. hermeneutics of John Howard Yoder, with particular reference to Yoder’s book, Generations of Union students developed this skill through writing Utrum essays. The Politics of Jesus. His doctoral work in ethics drew on feminist, gay and lesbian, In this exercise Christopher adapted the steps of “theological dialectic” set forth and Latin American liberation theologies to develop a Christian ecological ethic of by Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologiae. We were lucky to be working with sustainability and justice. More recently he has been examining issues of climate Christopher as he was completing his seminal work, Not Every Spirit: A Dogmatics change and social inequality in the context of globalization. His essay below ad- of Christian Disbelief, and enjoyed applying the Utrum form to the foundational dresses arguments from some Christians that we do not need to address climate theological claims. In Not Every Spirit Christopher states, “The purpose of this change because we can trust in God’s providence to maintain and sustain the exercise is to develop the complementary skills in addition to doing scriptural earth and human wellbeing. exegesis and historical exposition required for what is called “dialectic,” meaning here the pros and cons of argument involved in adjudicating disputed issues, a task of dogmatic theology as a “testing of the spirits.”1 Reading dozens of Utrum essays UTRUM #1: Christian Liturgy and Individuals with Autism Spectrum and watching Christopher demonstrate this skill in many classes over two semes- Disorders ters of tutoring ST104 shaped our own theological method profoundly. Learning to examine contemporary theological and ethical issues through the Utrum format [Utrum] Whether it is the case that Christian liturgical celebrations remains one of the most important intellectual and academic skills we gained in should welcome individuals with behavior disorders, such as Autism Spectrum our doctoral programs at Union. Disorders [ASDs], regardless of whether their behaviors may disrupt the celebra- When we were approached individually to contribute to a volume honoring tion or prove distracting to others in the congregation. Christopher and his career we responded enthusiastically “Yes!” Given our joint work together as tutors with Christopher we thought it appropriate to coauthor an [Videtur] It seems to be the case that churches (Christian communities) essay for this festschrift by choosing two contemporary issues central to our own have an obligation to assure that worship services proceed with reverence, deco- current work and using the Utrum format to examine them and develop our own rum, and minimal distractions so that those who are called out to gather together positions. That is what follows in the two sections below. and offer thanksgiving to God are able to do so. Scripture testifies that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”(Prov. 9:10) and this affirmation, repeated in the Psalms, grounds the orientation of Christian worship. Approaching the Holy One with due reverence 1 Christopher Morse, Not Every Spirit: A Dogmatics of Christian Disbelief. New York and and respect is the embodiment of this affirmation that recognition be given to London: Continuum, 2009 (2nd edition), 387 the vast difference between creature and Creator. The Psalmist is more explicit 26 27 in the language of the King James version that “God is greatly to be feared in find a way to make sure that worship is attentive to the needs of the community the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about as a whole. This sort of attention to the greater good is clearly seen in church ar- [God.]” (Psalm 89:7, KJV) Reverence, decorum, order, appropriate behaviors are chitecture when sanctuaries include “crying rooms” available to parents of infants not simply social conventions of Christian worship, but rather are the result of one prone to noisy and unpredictable outbursts. Beyond that, many congregations of the foundational professions of Christian faith. Precisely because Christians make their expectations known to individuals who make noise, including babies, profess God as Creator and in recognition of ourselves as creatures, Christian through stares or angry glances. These of course, are not the most charitable ways worship is marked by due reverence and decorum. Paul devotes himself at some to respond and while they should never be condoned, nonetheless speak to the length to giving the church at Corinth instructions regarding worship, but saves needs of the congregation as a whole for an ordered and decorous service. his clearest admonition for last when he sums up by stating, “but all things should be done decently and in order.” (1Cor.14:40.) Following Paul, but long before the [Sed contra] On the other hand, churches have an obligation to welcome formal establishment of liturgical norms, the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews those with behavior disorders like ASD, or other intellectual and developmental reminds his audience to, “offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and disabilities, who may not be able to sit quietly or keep all their limbs still during awe.” (Heb. 12:28) Scripture makes clear that reverence is a reflection of correct services because Christian worship is incomplete unless open to all who are bap- understanding of who we are and who God is. Some individuals diagnosed with tized and called out by faith to gather and give thanks to God. behavior disorders such as autism spectrum disorder may not be able to control Scripture testifies that Jesus told his friends, “That when two or three are their vocalizations or movements during religious services. It is important that gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Mt. 18:20) When Christians disruptions during worship from individuals with behavior disorders are not inter- gather to give thanks to God through sharing the word and Eucharist, they form, preted as willful or intentional, and the disorders themselves are not viewed as the though not through their own power or volition, the body of Christ. We know, as fault of either these individuals or their parents. At the same time, however, it may Paul writes, that “in the one Spirit we were all baptized into the one body” (1Cor. not always be possible to include such individuals in worship that is by prescriptive 12:13) and it is not possible to exclude any members and still claim to be the body necessity orderly and reverent. of Christ, for as Paul says, “the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you.” The tradition of Christian worship is long and varied by both denomina- (1Cor. 12:21) The corporate character of the faith community that claims to be tion and location. Yet all recognize the importance of hearing the Word of God the body of Christ necessitates inclusion of all the baptized. and the value of moments of reverential silence. Periods of silence are commonly The creedal mark of the church as “one” can only be satisfied with the inclu- observed during the Penitential Rites, following the sermon or homily, and after sion of all who approach the table. Through the Eucharist, and in the power of the communion. A quiet and decorous congregation is better able to apprehend the Holy Spirit, the church has historically claimed to be one despite the evident lack Word of God in both scripture and preaching in its full force and meaning for of unity in polity and parish. This faith claim, which Christians cling to despite today. The General Instructions on the Roman Missal of the Roman Catholic ample evidence to the contrary, is given some measure of objective validity when Church admonish that “all must listen with reverence to the readings from God’s the community gathering includes all who come.
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